Hip Hop Front found an interesting article on Young Jos’s rise in the rap game. The article/interview below shows Russell “Block” Spencer’s and Diddy’s influence on helping Young Joc get to where he is today, with a great album in stores and in the media. Check out the article below:

Fast-forward to the present. Joc (aka Jasiel Robinson) headlines a concert tonight at Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines and can boast the No. 1 rap album (“New Joc City”) and single (“It’s Goin’ Down”) in the nation – via Block’s new $15 million deal with Diddy’s Bad Boy Records and Warner Music Group.

Block, who also helped orchestrate the rise of Young Jeezy and Boyz N Da Hood, finally will release his own solo album, “Welcome to My Block,” in May.

“The toughest part of the game for me is getting artists with the grind,” Block said last week from Atlanta, where he and Joc live.

“A lot of artists don’t have the grind (work ethic), and they don’t have the sense to understand, in this music business, it’s 90 percent business and 10 percent talent.”

Talk about the grind: Joc already is recording his sophomore album that should hit the streets in March.

“I said to myself, I put in so much hard work, it’s gonna pop, it’s gonna pop big for me,” Joc said last week from a tour stop in Virginia. “And it did.”

Yes, indeed. More Joc talk:

Q: What has been your biggest show to date?

A: Summer Jam, New Jersey, Giants Stadium in front of 60,000 people.

Q: What did that feel like?

A: It felt like I was getting the exposure that I worked so hard to get. It felt good.

Q: What’s the most expensive thing you’ve splurged on since your album blew up?

A: My house. And my new Mercedes CLS500.

Q: Your record company bio mentions jail time. Why were you locked up?

A: I was doin a bunch of (stuff), man … Stealin’ and (stuff). … Drugs. … I just changed my life all the way around.

Q: How did you change?

A: Just realizing it wasn’t me. I was doin’ a lot of it for attention. Once I realized that I was doin’ it for attention (at age 15), I quit.